Prefabricated soffit construction



Sept. 7, 1965 J. 5. HELLEKSON PREFABRICATED SOFFIT CONSTRUCTION IVENTOR. it fizz; 6. I: 172%150/0 j z E r a 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 l l, I lmnlllmn Filed June '7, 1961 Sept. 7, 1965 J. 5. HELLEKSON PREFABRICATED SOFFIT CONSTRUCTION 2. Sheets-Sheet 2 J? g J50 INVENTOR WSJ fl Zk/ OH/ Filed June 7, 1961 United States Patent 3,204,374 PREFABRICATED SUFFIT CONSTRUCTION James S. Hellekson, Mount Prospect, 11L, assignor to National Rollex Corporation, Chicago, Iil., a corporation of Illinois Filed Tune 7, 1961, Ser. No. 115,453 1 Claim. (Cl. 52-94) This invention relates to the construction of sofiits for the overhanging portions of roofs and to the components for making the same.

Soifits are required for overhanging roofs to present a finished downwardly facing surface between the siding of buildings and the perimeter of the roofs normally defined by vertical facia boards. The construction and maintenance of these sofiits have, heretofore, created many problems. Thus, the conventional wooden soifits made of plywood or tongue and groove boards require periodic painting and frequently warp. Plywood soifits require exposed nailing, and, although the nails can initially be masked to a degree by paint, the heads of the nails frequently become noticeable due to peeling of the paint or discoloration thereof due to rusting.

In recent years, an attempt has been made to overcome some or all of the aforesaid problems by making the sofiits out of baked enamel coated metal panels. These metal sofiit constructions, however, also leave much to be desired. Some of them require exposed nailing. All of them pose problems of fabrication because of the widely varying widths of the overhanging portions of the roofs which must be spanned by the soffit installations. Obviously, this problem cannot, as a practical matter, be solved by fabricating and stocking sofiit panels in minutely progressively varying sizes. Prior to the present invention, it was necessary to cut the metal sofiit panels longitudinally at the situs of the buildings involved to end up with a sofiit of the proper width. This was costly in terms of labor and material. Of course, the problem of cutting the sofiit panels longitudinally to the proper size at the situs of the buildings is also present in wooden soffits, although cutting wood presents much less of a problem than cutting metal.

It is, accordingly, one of the objects of the present invention to provide a substantially completely prefabricated soffit construction which, using a few basic sizes of the sofiit parts, is adaptable to roof overhangs of almost any size. A related object of the present invention is to provide a soflit construction as just described wherein the nails for anchoring the soffit parts in place are not exposed. Another related object of the present invention is to provide a sofiit construction as above described, which is easy to install and results in a substantial saving in overall building cost.

In accordance with one of the aspects of the present invention, the soifit is constructed entirely from prefabricated, baked enamel coated, aluminum panels of a few basic sizes and which can be readily mounted in interlocked relation to provide an appearance which simulates overlapped wooden tongue and groove construction where the the nailing is covered by the lapped joints. In the preferred form of the invention, the panels come in two basic sizes which are almost but not quite mutiples of one another, for example, one providing a 5% inch exposed width and the other providing a 3 inch exposed width. The panels come in fixed predetermined lengths, such, for example, 8 foot lengths. In installing an 8 foot length soffit section between the siding of the building involved and a facia board, the panels are anchored in place working from the siding of the building outward to the facia board. In the example being described, for roof overhangs in the neighborhood of /2 foot wide and ice larger, by various combinations of the two sizes of panels, one can always form interlocked panel arrangements which leave only a small gap between the outermost panel and the facia board. This gap will never exceed a given small value such as 1% inches. (This will not result, however, if the panels provide 3 and 6 inch exposed Widths.) Before an installation is made, the particular combination of panel sizes necessary to end up with a gap no greater than this amount is figured out and the sofiit so designed is installed. If it is possible to end up with such a gap without mixing panel sizes, then normally the installation is made in this manner.

The aforementioned small gap between the outermost panel of each 8 foot soffit section and the facia board is covered by a special baked enamel coated, aluminum facia board trim member anchored to the facia board. This member has a generally horizontal extending trim flange having a width equal to the aforesaid maximum permitted gap, such as 1% inches. This facia board trim member extends contiguous to the bottom surface of the outermost panel to form a smooth, attractive joint therebetween.

In accordance with another important aspect of the present invention, the facia board trim member is designed to encase the exposed portions of the facia board, so that neither the soflit nor the facia board need be painted by the building owner. This also permits the use of inexpensive facia board which materially reduces the cost of the facia board. It is significant that the sofiit construction of the present invention actually results in a lower overall material and labor cost than the prior wooden and metal sofiit installations.

The space covered by the sofiit of an overhanging roof usually opens into the insulated portion of the roof. FHA and VA building requirements normally specify minimum ventilation requirements for the insulated space beneath the roof. In accordance with another aspect of this invention, these ventilation requirements are made by simply using one or more perforated panels in constructing the sofiit. It is important, however, that the perforated panel-s be the outermost panel or panels, and that the innermost panels be imperforate. By perforating only the outermost panel or panels, the wind blown rain and snow cannot gain entrance to the insulated space which starts at the side of the building.

Other aspects of the invention to be described relate to specific constructional details of the panels and trim pieces used in installing the sofiit.

For a more complete understanding of the various objects, features and advantages of the present invention, reference should be made to the specification to follow, the claims and the drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary perspective view of a sofiit construction made in accordance with the present invention, where the soffit panels are all of the same Width;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional View of FIG. 1 taken along section line 22 therein;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged, fragmentary view corresponding to FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the manner in which adjacent transversely spaced panels interlock;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged, fragmentary longitudinal sectional view showing the manner in which adjacent longitudinally spaced panels fit together;

FIG. 6 is a vertical sectional view through a soffit installation where the soffit panels are of mixed widths;

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary perspective View of a wide, imperforate sofiit panel;

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary perspective view of a wide perforated soffit panel;

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary exploded perspective view showing the contiguous ends of a pair of narrow longitudinally spaced, soffit panels;

FIG. is a fragmentary perspective view of the frieze molding strip used in the soifit construction of the present invention at the juncture between the soflit and the siding of the building; and

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a facia board cover and trim member.

Refer now more particularly to FIGS. 1 through 4 which illustrate a sofiit installation 1 constructed in accordance with the present invention. The soffit extends between a vertical facia board 2 at the margin of the roof 4 of the building involved and the side thereof generally indicated by reference numeral 6. The side of the building includes overlapped siding boards 6a, the uppermost of which is identified by reference numeral 6a. The latter siding board 6a is held in place by nails 8 which are covered by a unique frieze molding strip 10 which forms part of the sofi'it installation of the present invention. The soffit installation further includes elongated rectangu lar metal panels 12 extending parallel to the side of the building. These panels come in fixed predetermined modular lengths, such as 8 feet, as do the other molding strips 10 and other soffit parts to be described. The panels 12 present visible imperforate surfaces. The panels interlock at their longitudinal edges in a manner to be described and form upwardly converging and merging juncture surfaces 16 simulating the joints of conventional wooden tongue and groove soffit boards.

Perforated elongated rectangular panels 12' of the same modular length as the imperforate panels 12 extend around the perimeter of the soffit installation for ventilation purposes. The perforated panels 12' interlock with the adjacent imperforate panels 12 in the same manner as the panels 12 interlock to provide converging and merging juncture surfaces 16'. The panels 12 and 12 and the frieze molding strips 10 are anchored in place by nailing to regularly spaced horizontal wooden rafters, lookouts, or the like, generally indicated by reference numeral 27, which extend between the side 6 of the building and the facia boards 2.

Normally a gap 18 is left between the bottom surface of each perforate panel 12' and the facia board 2. This gap varies somewhat from installation to installation, but, due to the nature of the present invention, never exceeds a predetermined small distance no matter what the particular width of the roof overhang may be above a given minimum size (e.g. about /2 foot wide). In the embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 3, this gap is covered by a standard width trim flange 20 extending from a facia board cover and trim member generally indicated by reference numeral 21. When the maximum gap size is 1% inches then this flange is preferably 1% inches wide.

All of the above described parts making up the soffit installation 1 are made of prefabricated sheet metal, preferably aluminum coated with a permanent baked enamel or the like of the same color throughout. These parts require nolongitudinal cutting at the situs of the installation to adapt the same to varying roof overhang dimen-' sions. The only cutting which is required is at the corners of the roof where the panels 12 and 12', molding strips 10, and facia cover and trim members 21 are cut transversely to the proper length to form a right angle joint. As shown in FIG. 1, the contiguous severed ends of the panels 12 and 12' at a corner of the roof may be covered by a suitable aluminum masking strip 22 preferably coated with the same baked enamel as the other sofiit parts. The contiguous ends of the facia cover and trim members 21 at the corners of the roof also may be covered by a suitable aluminum corner piece 26 coated with the same baked enamel as the other soffit parts.

The facia cover and trim members 21 cover and protect the exposed surfaces of the facia boards 2. The

latter, therefore, may be made of a lower than normal grade of wood which does not need to be painted. The entire soffit assembly including the facia cover and trim members 21 thus form a substantially maintenance free, attractive installation. Also, as will be explained, the soffit installation can be mounted in place at a minimum of labor and without any exposed nailing.

As above indicated, one of the most important features of the present invention is that, with only a few i to form a nailing flange.

basic sizes of the component soifit'parts, a soffit can be constructed for roof overhangs of practically any size without any longitudinal cutting of the soffit panels. In the exemplary form of the invention to be described, this is accomplished with imperforate panels 12 of only two basic sizes, namely panels providing exposed panel widths of approximately 5% inches and 3 inches, respectively. With this arrangement, it can be shown that for soflit widths greater than about /2 foot wide, the gap between the horizontal exposed portions of the outermost or perforate panels 12' and the inner faces of the facia boards 2 do not exceed 1% inches for all possible roof overhang sizes greater than this minimum value. The perforated panels 12' need be made in only one size, namely the 5% inch size.

The sofiit installation encloses a space between it and the roof 4 which, in a normal house construction, communicates with the space beneath the portion of the roof overhanging the main portion of the house. The latter space normally contains insulation, and FHA and VA regulations require minimum ventilation for this space, which is amply supplied by the openings provided in the 5% inch wide perforated panels 12'. Because the latter panels are located at the periphery of the soffit installation, it is highly unlikely that any snow or rain will be blown into the roof space containing the insulation, which starts approximately at the side 6 of the building involved.

Now that the broad features of the invention have been introduced, the preferred detailed aspects thereof will be described. As previously explained, the first parts of the soffit construction to be installed are the frieze molding strips 10. Each frieze molding strip is an irregular shaped sheet metal member having a downwardly and outwardly facing curved bottom portion 10a which covers over the nails 8 of the adjacent uppermost siding board 6a and makes a smooth appearing junction between the soffit installation and the building siding. The molding strip has a flat upstanding lip 10b at the bottom thereof which rests against the uppermost siding board 6a. The upper portion of the molding strip is channel shaped to define a laterally outwardly facing channel 100. This channel is formed by an inwardly extending horizontal wall 10d terminating in a short upwardly extending wall 102, and a wall 10 extending horizontally outwardly from the upper end of the vertical wall 10a to a point well beyond the bottom curved portion 10a of the molding strip, to form a nailing flange. Nails 28 are passed through the nailing flange which extend into the rafter or lookout 27 to anchor the same in place.

Each of the imperforate panels 12 has a horizontal central portion 12a, a shallow inner longitudinal marginal portion which initially inclines upwardly at 12b away from said horizontal portion 12a and terminates in a narrow horizontal lip 12c, and a shallow outer longitudinal marginal portion which initially inclines upwardly and outwardly at 12d away from the horizontal central portion 12a, to form a wall surface similar to but extending in the opposite direction than the aforementioned inclined portion 12b. The inclined wall portion 12d terminates in a channel-forming portion including a sharply inwardly extending wall 12e which terminates in a reversely outwardly extending horizontal wall 12f which extends well beyond the portion of the panel therebelow The various panels 12 are anchored in place to the rafters, lookouts 21 or the like by nails 28 passing through their nailing flanges. A laterally outwardly facing channel 12g is formed at the inner end of each nailing flange 12 the depth of which is sufficient completely to receive the lip 12c of the panel 12 positioned on the outside of the panel involved. At one of the ends of each of the panels 12, a pair of slots 14-14 are cut in the inner and outer longitudinal marginal portions of the panel, so that the central portion 12a thereof forms a projecting tongue 121' which underlaps the central portion 12a of the adjacent longitudinally spaced panels 12 in the manner shown in FIG. 5.

The perforated panels 12' have the identical configuration of the panels 12 and the corresponding parts thereof have been similarly numbered, except that a prime has been added to the reference numerals identifying the parts of the panel 12. The only difference between the imperforate panels 12 and the perforated panels 12 is that the central portion 12a of the perforated panel contains numerous closely spaced ventilating perforations 31.

As previously indicated, two basic sizes of panels are used in the preferred exemplary form of the invention being described. The panels 12 shown in the drawings are the wide 5% inch panels. The 5% inch dimension is measured between the outermost extremities of the outwardly inclined portions 12b and 12d. The narrow panels are shown in FIG. 9 and are identified by reference numeral 13. The inner and outer longitudinal marginal portions of the narrow panels 13 are identical to those of the panel 12. The parts of each narrow panel 13 have been identified by the reference numeral 13 followed by an alphabet character corresponding to that used for the corresponding part of the panel 12. The only diflerence in the wide and narrow panels is in the relative widths of the horizontal central portions 12a and 13a thereof.

As previously indicated, the gap 18 between an outermost panel 12' and the inner face of the facia board 2 is covered by the trim flanges 20 of a facia board cover and trim member 21. The facia board cover and trim member 21 is made in only a few basic sizes to accommo' date the various standard widths of facia boards. Since the height of the commonly used facia boards vary more than their thicknesses, said facia cover and trim member 21 is preferably initially made in a partially formed condition shown in FIG. 11. As there shown, each comprises a sheet metal member having a main outer vertical side wall 21a adapted to cover the outer vertical surface of a facia board of varying width, the wall 21a thereby being wider than the widest facia board with which it is to be used. During the installation of the facia board cover and trim members, the wall 21a is bent to its proper size around the facia board.

Each facia cover and trim member further has a horizontally extending bottom wall 21b adapted to cover the bottom surface of the facia board of a given thickness, a relatively short upwardly extending wall portion 21c extending up from the inner margin of the bottom wall 21b, and a horizontally extending wall portion forming the trim flange 20. The end of the trim flange has a generally upwardly extending lip 21d which is adapted to abut against the bottom surface 12a of the outermost panel 12'.

The procedure for installing the soflit of the present invention is as follows. First, the frieze molding strips is anchored in place in the manner explained. The innermost course of the panels 12 is placed within the molding strip channels 100. As best shown in FIG. 3, the horizontal wall 10d at the bottom of each channel 100 is relatively wide so that the inner marginal portion of the central portion 12a of the panel 12 rests on the wall 10d. The width of the wall 10d further enables a limited horizontal adjustment of the innermost panel 12 to permit the soflit installation to be properly aligned with the building involved, even when the molding strip 10 undulates a limited amount in a horizontal plane due to an imperfectly constructed side wall. The channel 100 is sufficiently deep to receive the outwardly extending marginal Wall portions 12b and of the panel 12. When the innermost panel 12 has been properly positioned within the associated molding strip channel 100, the panel is anchored in place by the nails 28 passing through the nailing flange 12 of the panel 12. The next panel 12 is then interlocked with the innermost panel 12 by placing the lip 12c thereof within the laterally outwardly facing channel 12g at the outer side of the innermost panel 12. This process is repeated until all of the panels 12 and 12' have been anchored in place. When the various panels are properly interlocked, the upwardly inclining portions 12b and 12c (or 13b and of the various interlocked panels 12, 12' and 13 form converging, merging surfaces 16 and 16 at the junctures of these panels as previously indicated.

In the soffit installation shown in FIGS. 1 through 3, it was possible to use the panels 12 all having the same width, namely the 5% inch width referred to previous ly, to end up with a gap 18 equal to or less than the maximum spacing permitted. If, however, the use of panels of the same width would not leave the proper gap 18 to be covered by the trim flange 20, then either the narrower panels 13 are used instead throughout or else the narrow and wide panels are combined to leave the proper gap as shown in the installation of FIG. 5.

After the panels 12 and 12 have been mounted in place, the facia board cover and trim members 21 are mounted in place to cover the gaps 18 between the outermost perforated panels 12' and the facia boards. As previously indicated, this can be done by the simple expedient of manually bending the upper falls 21a thereof around the corner of the facia board so that a horizontally extending upper wall 21a is formed extending over the top surface of the facia boards 2. Of course, each facia board cover and trim member 21 can be completely prefabricated to fit a given size facia board and, in such case, is fitted around the facia board by depressing the flange 21 slightly to allow the walls 21b and 210 to fit around and snap in place around the bottom of the facia board. Also, although less preferred, where for any reason the facia board 2 is to be exposed to the elements, the facia board trim members 21 need only comprise walls 210, 20 and 21d.

It is apparent that, except for a small amount of cutting required at the corners of a roof, the soffit construction of the present invention can be installed without cutting the parts to size with roof overhangs of practically any size and using parts of only a few basic sizes. Also, the use of the baked enamel coated facia cover and trim members 21 to cover the facia boards, along with the other baked enamel coated parts of the soflit, results in a substantially maintenance free installation that does not require any painting and makes possible the use of relatively inexpensive wood for the facia boards. Furthrmore, the soflit of the present invention is easy to install, even when the side of the house is not perfectly straight, provides automatically the proper ventilation of the space beneath the roof without the danger of snow or rain being blown into the insulation containing portions thereof, and results in a soflit construction of lower cost than the soflit constructions heretofore made.

It should be understood that numerous modifications may be made in the preferred forms of the invention described above without deviating from the broader aspects of the present invention.

What I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

A soflit structure for a building on the bottom of a roof overhang having a vertically extending facia board on the outside thereof, said soffit structure comprising: a number of elongated soflit-forming panels in juxtaposed coplanar edge to edge relation, the adjacent edges of the panels being interlocked, the panels being of only two basic sizes where the exposed widths thereof in their interlocked condition are respectively about 5% and 3 inches, whereby, in various combinations, the interlocked panels can encompass varying widths which fall short of spanning roof overhangs of all widths above a given minimum value by an amount never greater than a distance substantially less than the width of the narrowest of said panels, and a trim member along the outer margin of the sofiit structure, sa-id trim member having a portion attached to said facia board at the margin of the roof'and a generally horizontally extending flange portion overlapping the outermostedge of the outermost panel, said flange portion being of less width than that of the narrowest of said two basic sizes and spanning the space between the outermost edge of said panels and the facia board.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 382,092 5/88 Kinnear 189-89 417,949 12/89 Sagendorph 189-89 2 460,283 9/91 Adler 189-86 10/21 Boll 50-66 11/25 Leidich 50-66 X 8/ 29 Guy 50-66 6/31 Bruce -8 3/38 Spilsbury 5 0-66 7/42 Germonprez 189-85 X ,4/ 5 4 Wenger 5 0-67 9/52. Reed -4 7/59 Stephens 5 0-66 1/ 61 Pelican 50-67 FOREIGN PATENTS 6/57 Australia. 5 5 4 Canada. 9/60 Great Britain.

JACOB L. NACKENOFF, Primary Examiner.

0 HENRY C. SUTI-IERLAND, Examiner. 

